A "legal remontada" in Morocco prompts the Algerian media to set up mourning tents

Since the Confederation of African Football announced that it was withdrawing the African Cup of Nations title from the Senegal national team and awarding it to Morocco, after resorting to the law, the Algerian media has engaged in a “frenzied” campaign targeting the country after it was treated fairly and the title was returned to it following a purely legal battle.

Many observers believe that Algerian media targeting Morocco is a common practice, especially with the repeated successes achieved by the Kingdom at different levels and interfaces.

In a statement to Hespress, sports analyst Abdel Aziz Al-Balghiti considered that what happened “represents the topic of the hour recently, given the speed of its spread and the attempt of some to exploit it to cover up their failures in several fields.”

Al-Balghiti recorded that “some voices in the Algerian media scene adopt a propaganda discourse based on intimidation, and reflects a state of tension and lack of acceptance of reality, in addition to ignoring the laws and procedures in force in the sports field.”

The same spokesman continued: “We witnessed widespread talk about the coronation of Morocco and the restoration of its title legally, in what can be described as a ‘legal remontada’, to the credit of both Faouzi Lekjaa and the Royal Moroccan Football League, as well as the Moroccan national team,” stressing that “this coronation was well-deserved, according to legal procedures, after confirming the withdrawal of the Senegalese national team in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.”

The sports analyst reported that “multiple attempts were observed to mobilize anti-Moroccan positions and align with the Senegalese national team, whether through official or unofficial media, or through social networking sites, which have become an influential actor in shaping public opinion.” He also pointed out that “the ambition of the Algerian media was that the Moroccan team would falter or not reach this level of performance and achievement, but Morocco continued its development, whether at the level of results or sports infrastructure, within the framework of a clear strategic vision to which a number of actors contributed.”

Al-Balghiti stressed that “sport must remain a field for fair competition, far from political disputes,” adding that “what happened reflects in some cases a violation of these values, while this reality imposes on the Moroccan sports media the need to develop its performance, especially in light of the major entitlements that await the Kingdom, including organizing the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, in addition to other continental and international demonstrations.”